You have made it. Congratulations on making it through your Junior year. You have impressed me with your efforts. Grades are now updated from the several assignments I collected in the last month.

Many of you improved your standing from your final exam. While the fact that you did well collectively was in no way shocking, it was the most impressive collective effort I have ever seen on a final exam. And the written portion of that exam is the sort of test that I wish all Americans would take – we would have a more informed electorate as a result.

IF you would like to collect your final, stop by my office today after school and grab it. If you’d prefer, I will be in the commons for a brief spell tomorrow. Check the Skyline web page for the times.

Many of you missed the chance to pick up your Vietnam/Civil Rights Essay tests. They are still in the classroom on the front table. Feel free to pick them up today.

Tomorrow, June 15th PRIOR to your final exam, you may submit the critical reading AND the sample final exam questions for additional points that will count toward the exam. Your name must be on the front. No other materials will be collected. No, you can’t turn them in after the test begins, nor in the afternoon, nor after you throw the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom.

Remember, as shared in class, the content mostly comes from the Sem 2- Review 2017. The structure is the same as was mentioned earlier:

One written component (either complete essay or outline) responding to a question. This question will be related to the readings. The rubric will be below.

The rubric for top marks (13-15) is the bullets below. Details pertinent to the use of documents are bolded. If you’re really bored, here’s the entire rubric you will see on the test. Hopefully, you can practice the subtle science and exact art that is the role of the historian. I do expect that you can do it.

Responses are clearly focused, showing a high degree of awareness of the demands and implications of the question. Answers are well structured, balanced and effectively organized.

Knowledge is detailed, accurate and relevant. Events are placed in their historical context, and there is a clear understanding of historical concepts. There is effective synthesis of own knowledge and source material. Clear References are made to the sources, and these references are used effectively as evidence to support the analysis.

Arguments are clear and coherent. There is evaluation of different perspectives, and this evaluation is integrated effectively into the answer.

The answer contains well-developed critical analysis. All, or nearly all, of the main points are substantiated, and the response argues to a reasoned conclusion.

Details for your final-unit project can be found here in the handout distributed in class Tuesday, May 30th. Your product should be ready to submit on Friday, June 9th.

If you have chosen option 2 or option 3, you will be turning your process in before class on Friday, June 9th. You will also submit a draft to turnitin.com before 7:25am on Friday, June 9th. Your process will include:

your annotated bibliography of at least six articles. Annotations should inform the reader about the value of the source to your research.

Your critical reading of at least one substantive work (see handout for details).

your peer editing sheet (completed by an editor)

any other process steps you did beyond the minimum expectations (brainstromings, etc.) you invested in your project

If you have chosen option 4, you also will be turning your process in before class on Friday, June 9th. You will also submit a draft to turnitin.com before 7:25am on Friday, June 9th. Your process will include:

A critical reading of the article by David Brooks

Research and critical readings of at least 4 articles from different political perspectives

Please bring ALL OF YOUR NOTES from each reading section to the test. Please do the following before the start of class:

Label each section with page numbers and due date (see above)

Put your name on the front of this packet of notes.

Turn them in before the test

If you are choosing option 1, then your homework is: arrive at class with notes on the following Tindall and Shi selection –

The Reagan Revolution – 1391-1396; Reagan’s first Term 1396-1403

You will be assigned one section each day. And don’t forget to bring your textbook to class tomorrow and each day thereafter.

If you’ve chosen one of the other options, arrive with a research question that will drive your investigation. Please assume you will need to conduct research in class. We will be in the library during 1st period.

We are down to our final Unit and you have some choices. Given that we don’t have enough time to do everything, you have the chance to make some choices about how you’d like to approach learning U.S. history in the last half century. There is a lot to choose from. The good news is you don’t have to know everything, but you will have do have something to show for yourself. You will get to choose the content and the method of learning the material. The only stipulation is that you cannot study something you have already investigated for your IA or for another class. Your choices are below.

Before you make your choice, know this:

we will devote class time (8+ periods) and any needed additional time to learning the material

the intent of the scope of this work is that you should have less than :20 minutes of work per night at home

the more independence you have, the greater your need to keep me informed of your progress and learning

you will have four facets of your product:

Note-taking or critical readings as you research

The documentation of works consulted

The organization of your learning (an outline, a mind-map, etc.)

A written product of your learning

Beyond studying the content of the last fifty years, the learning objectives include that you are making connections between the historical era you are studying and the modern day.

All choices/options will have the same total point value. All will include process (50 pts), participation (50), and culminating product (50). All will be due on the same day – no sooner than June 9th.

Choice 1 – The simplest method: overview

The last two chapters of Tindall and Shi cover the Carter, Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush administrations. You can meet the expectations above by reading and taking notes on the chapters. I have done the work of breaking the readings into 9 tidy one-hour segments. We have eight plus days. You would have minimal homework and would not have to do independent thinking in order to determine what to do. Consider this your silver platter.

Then, choose a facet of his economic, domestic, or foreign policy plan to evaluate in comparison to modern-day realities. Your primary questions for consideration is:

What role did this President have in creating modern-day realities?

In addition to the consideration of what role this President played, you should also evaluate his missed opportunities as well as his successes.

Your products will be:

An annotated bibliography regarding at least six articles that inform your understanding of this topic and the related presidential evaluation

Your critical reading of at least one essay/blog entry/book that argues that the President changed the American Economic Outlook/American society/Foreign Policy/ in at least one significant way (10+pgs in length)

An essay that evaluates the impact of the President and the issues raised by the introduction of his policies. What is it that we should remember about this President’s contributions as we look to tackle modern problems? What is the lasting impact? Paper 3 rubric.

Choice 3 – The disruptors:

Choose an innovation that has happened in the last 50 years. Consider the ways it has transformed society in the interim. Your primary question for consideration is:

In what ways has this technology transformed behaviors, traditions, power structures, and ideas during this span?

In addition to the consideration of how this innovation has disrupted society, you should also evaluate the ethical issues that are raised by its introduction.

Your products will be:

An annotated bibliography regarding at least six articles that inform your understanding of this topic and the related technological innovation

Your critical reading of at least one essay/blog entry/book that argues that the innovation changed society in at least one significant way (10+pgs in length)

An essay that evaluates the impact of the innovation and the ethical issues raised by the introduction of this innovation. What is it that we should consider as we look to the future? What is the way forward? Paper 3 rubric.

Choice 4 – The thinkers:

Read the linked article by David Brooks. Consider the ways that our current society is being altered by thinkers and leaders who are altering the identity of our culture and changing the narrative that Americans use to craft their sense of self.

Choose an identity listed by Brooks (or, even better, argue for your own), and research the political spectrum presented by these thinkers.

Research and critical readings of at least 4 articles along the political spectrum

Research appropriate modern-day issues to better inform your essay

An essay evaluating the other authors and offering your own vision of the best narrative for the country. Your essay will reference the other articles as well as any relevant modern-day events. A paper 3 rubric will be applied.

Here are a few updates to the extensive information you’ve been given in class. Your current project involves research, reading(and notetaking), thinking, planning, and construction. STAY AWAY FROM WIKIPEDIA. By Wednesday this week, you’ll have a product. By Friday, you’ll be so knowledgeable that you can hand in a homework packet and celebrate your understanding with a test. All the details of this you already know – they are on the handout distributed Monday in class.

On the bottom of the handout which includes a calendar of the week, you’ll also see the pages from the IB Textbook (317-322; 322-327; 328-330). Those will be due on Friday, May 26th June 2nd before the test. In addition, it would be good to have a solid understanding of the Watergate Chronology including important actors, ideas (like ‘smoking gun‘) and events. Here’s a video review. This timeline was distributed on the back of the end-of-year calendar Monday.

As we look to the project, consider the steps we’ve submitted – Watergate Poster Design – and the way the project will be evaluated – Rubric for Watergate Poster Presentation – so that your group creates a poster that is more than pretty and engaging. Don’t forget to present an answer to one of the three questions as an argument.

The best posters will also make significant comparisons to modern-day events. How is the Watergate Scandal different from the current investigations into the Russian influence on the 2016 Elections? Here is a good review of the amazing ten days‘ worth of events that led to the appointment of a special council to the Russia investigation. An essential question remains: Why is Michael Flynn such a big deal? Here is one answer from Representative Elijah Cummings. Here is an article from McClatchy and another from Bloomberg.

Here is a simple, quick list of content to consider with the Russian investigation. This material will be on Friday’s test and the final exam. What role did each play? Michael Flynn, Jeff Sessions, Jared Kushner, Mike Pence, Sergey Kislyak, Vladimir Putin, Rod Rosenstein, John McCain, James Comey, President Donald Trump, Robert Muller III, Jason Chaffetz, and Elijah Cummings. Almost all can be found in the review above. Curious about modern-day laws on the books because of Watergate? Here’s one.

“The Watergate Scandal confirmed that in the United States the democratic process worked.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Examine the following claim: “During the Watergate Affair, investigative journalism saved American Democracy.”

Analyse the political impact of the Watergate Affair in the United States.

Can you identify…

CREEP

Saturday Night Massacre

Plumbers

Smoking Gun

Nixon vs. U.S.

Watergate Senate Committee

Special Prosecutor

Executive Privilege

Articles of Impeachment

Who are the main players behind these events? What groups/roles are they associated with? I thought Gerald Ford was the Leader of the House of Representatives…?

Can you build a timeline/chronology of events with dates? Can you establish causation?

Have you worked to know the events? Or do you just know they are in your notes or on a website. You should have invested at least an hour today to learn the material. How will Mr. B know you’ve learned it? Should he give you a test? Ask you to build a timeline? Evaluate an argument? Hmmm…

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